Apparatus for making gas



Jan. 23, 1934. J w z T 1,944,818

APPARATUS FOR MAKING GAS Filed Sept. 17, 1932 PZAINAI r/IIIIIIII INVENTOR 76171! mike/"11,

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av? ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 23, 1934 APPARATUS FOR MAKING GAS John Whikehart, Zanesville, Ohio Application September 17, 1932 Serial No. 633,663

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in gas making apparatuses and processes employed in gas making, and its objects are as follows:-

First, to provide an apparatus for the purpose of producing a gas adapted for heating, illuminating and power purposes.

Second, to provide a long coil or other tortuous conduit for the initial commingling of the liquid fuel and compressed air while passing therethrough.

Third, to provide an apparatus for carbureting a moving stream of air, the mixing device for doing this being part of a temporary reservoir into which the carbureted air is discharged through its contained liquid fuel, said air (now a gaseous mixture or gas) being lastly subjected to a bath of oil by which any impurities are washed out and by which the gas is fixed as to its constituents.

Fourth, to utilize relatively small portions of the foregoing liquid fuel of the temporary reservoir as the nucleus of the gas.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a partial elevational and sectional diagram of the improved gas making apparatus.

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view of the mixing device seen below the bottom of the temporary reservoir in Figure 1.

In carrying out the invention provision is made of an air reservoir 1 of any desired description. This is in the form of a tank which is intended to be supplied with compressed air from a suitable source by means of a pipe 2. The tank is surmounted by a gauge 3 which indicates the pressure of air. For the purpose of this disclosure the tank 1 is to be regarded as the source of compressed air.

A pair of similarly constructed tanks 4, 5 are arranged side by side, the first containing liquid fuel 6, the second oil 7. The tank 4 is herein known as the temporary reservoir because it is in the space above the fuel 6 that the leaned gas is stored, sometimes temporarily. The tank 5 is herein known as the storage holder. The ultimately fixed gas is stored in the space above the oil 7, and it is from this space that the pipe system is supplied.

An automatic regulator 8 regulates the admission of air from the tank 1 to a pipe 9. This pipe contains plain air. It terminates in an appropriate fitting 10, one branch 11 of which connects with one end of a long coil 12 or other tortuous conduit. The other branch 13 is connected with one horizontal opening of a T 14- of what is known as a mixing device generally designated 15 (Fig. 2). I

The coil is shown wrapped around the tank 4. This is merely to save space. Its purpose would be carried out just as well if the coil were located beside the tank 4. The remaining end of the coil has a connection 16 with the other horizontal opening of the T l l. The first horizontal opening has a partition 17 (Fig. 2) somewhat in advance of the branch 13. A nipple 18 connects the vertical opening of. the T 14 with a hollow plug 19 which is screwed or otherwise firmly fixed in a boss in the bottom of the tank 4.

A closure 20 closes off the interior of the plug 19 from the interior of the tank' l, it being noted that the plug 19 is screwed through the bottom of the tank so that its inner end projects into the volume of fuel 6. A fine tube 21 extends from the closure 20 to the partition 17. Each has a hole to admit the respective end of the tube, and since the tube communicates with the top surface of the closure 20 it follows that liquid fuel will flow into the tube 21 and discharge into the branch 13. Only small portions of liquid 3 fuel will thus be discharged because of the fineness of the tube 21.

Thus far it will be understood that the action in the fitting 10 will be similar to that of an injector. Air flowing under pressure from the pipe 9 through the fitting 10 into the branch 11 will tend to set up a vacuum in the branch 13. The action of gravity on the liquid fuel 6 is thus augmented by suction so that a steady although fine stream of liquid fuel will be discharged constantly from the tube 21 into the branch 13 and consequently into the long coil 12.

As the air and liquid fuel pass through the coil 12 they become thoroughly commingled. The resulting mixture is rather rich but it presently becomes somewhat leaned by Virtue of being forced up through the volume of liquid fuel 6 prior to storage in the tank 4 above the liquid fuel. This accomplishment occurs by virtue of the introduction of the rich gas from the outlet of the coil 12 into the left end of the T 14. The rich gas flows up through the nipple l8 and hollow plug 19. The closure 20 has an extra hole in which the inner end 22 of a perforated spiral coil 23 is connected. The rich gas is therefore discharged into the spiral coil. The commingling of air and liquid fuel in the coil 12 results in a rich, vapory gas, and its passage the coil 23 and the perforations thereof as well as through the fuel 6, is for the purpose of relieving the rich,

vapory gas of undesirable particles of liquid fuel that have not yet become gasified, thus resulting in a leaner gas. The coil 23 is situated on the bottom of the tank 4. It has numerous perforations through which the gas is discharged: into the liquid fuel 6, some of the places of discharge being denoted at 24. The outer end 25 of the coil is closed off and sealed. When the gas is forced through the liquid fuel 6 as previously stated, it becomes cleaned of surplus liquid particles and a volume of leaned gas fills the space above the liquid fuel 6 as previously pointed out.

A pipe 26 is adapted to conduct this gas from the top of the tank 4 to the bottom of the tank 5. A valve 27 controls the flow. The right end of the pipe 27 joins connections similar to those seen at the bottom of the tank 24, in other words a nipple 28 and a hollow plug 29. This plug has a closure 30, but there is only one hole in this closure, that hole being for the connection of the inner end of a perforated coil 31 which is identical with the coil 23.

The gas is discharged at the perforations of the coil 31 into the volume of oil 7. The gas bubbles through the oil and fills the space in the top of the tank 5. The oil has the tendency of washing out any impurities in the gas, and it also further relieves said gas of particles of liquid fuel that may remain after passing through the fuel 6 in tank 4, thereby having the tendency of fixing the constituents of the gas so that the latter will be in a proper state for any of the various purposes to which it may be put. The gas is conducted to the burners or elsewhere by a pipe 32. This pipe contains a valve 33 and a pressure gauge 34.

Each of the tanks 4, 5 has a suitable gauge 35 for indicating the amount of liquid in the respective tanks. The tank 4 has a safety valve 36 connected in the adjacent part of the pipe 36. This valve is intended to act in the event of a failure of the pressure regulator 8. The tank 5 has a similar safety valve 3'7 which is intended to act under the same circumstance. A back check valve 38 opens toward the tank 4 only. It is intended to close in the event of a predominating back pressure in the tank 4.

Each tank 4, 5 has a supply pipe 39. In each instance the pipe leads off to a point wherefro-m fluid can be poured in conveniently. Each pipe has a valve 40 which is normally closed.

The operation fuel 6 cracks the gas bubbles. The gas occupies the upper end of the tank 4 either in a static or flowing condition depending on whether or not the valve 27 is open and upon the rate of use at the burners. Inasmuch as there is pressure behind the gas it follows that the opening of the valve 27 will permit its discharge into the tank 5 wherein it bubbles through the oil 7 for purification and fixation; finally reaching the top of the tank 5.

Should the valve 33 be closed the gas pressure in the top of the tank 5 will gradually rise. The tank 5 then becomes a storage holder. The tank 4 is only a temporary reservoir, and when the valve 27 is closed the transfer of gas from the tank 4 to the tank 5 ceases. The operation of the apparatus stops when the accumulated pressure in the tank 4 equals that in the air tank 1.

I claim:

1. Gas making apparatus comprising a tank containing a volume of liquid fuel, a mixing device including a fine tube having one end communicating with the tankto receive fuel, passage means aifording communication with the interior of the tank independently of said tube, a partition in said passage means having the tube connected therewith to discharge the fuel to one side of the passage means, a coil having one end connected with the passage means and being in communication through said passage means with the interior of the tank, and a fitting through which compressed air is adapted to be discharged into the coil, said fitting having one branch connected with the remaining end of the coil and another branch connected to receive the discharged fuel from said fine tube.

2. Gas making apparatus comprising a pair of tanks, one containing a volume of liquid fuel the other a volume of oil, means for abstracting small portions of liquid fuel from the first tank and means for supplying a stream of compressed air, a coil through which the small portions of liquid fuel and air are passed for commingling to form a gas, means for discharging the gas through the liquid fuel for collection in the first tank, and a pipe for leading the gas to the second tank for discharge through the oil for purification and fixation.

3. Gas making apparatus comprising a tank containing a volume of liquid fuel, a mixing device comprising a hollow plug fitted through the bottom of the tank, said plug having an end closure within the tank, a T and a nipple connecting the vertical opening of the T with said plug, a partition in one of the horizontal openings of the T and a fine tube having its ends passing through the closure and partition, a compressed air fitting having two branches, one of the branches connecting with said one horizontal opening, and a coil wrapped around the tank having one end connected with the remaining branch of the fitting and the other end connected with the other horizontal opening of the tube.

JOHN WHIKEI-IART. 

